With a current world population of 6.8 billion, projected to be 9 billion by 2050, what will our lives be like in another fifty years? Our consumption is causing scarcity of resources, food production is struggling to meet demand, almost everything we do destroys delicate ecosystems and our greenhouse gas emissions keep growing.

Meanwhile, we all believe in a basic human right to reproduce. This UTSpeaks presents a diverse panel of UTS experts to speculate on a future where overpopulation may be the key force impacting every aspect of human life.

Dexter Dunphy

Dexter Dunphy joined the University of Technology Sydney in January 2000 as Distinguished Professor.
His main research and consulting interests are in the management of organisational change, human resource management and corporate sustainability. He also has a special interest in comparative management, particularly in East Asia where he has travelled widely. His research is published in over 60 articles and 15 books, including the Australian best sellers (with Doug Stace) Under New Management: Australian Organisation in Transition, and Beyond the Boundaries: Leading and Re-creating the Successful Enterprise (also with Doug Stace). Dexter's most recent book is The Sustainable Corporation: Organisational Renewal in Australia (co-authored with Andrew Griffiths). Dexter has consulted to over 150 private and public sector organisations in Australia and abroad.
His consulting includes advising on major organisational transformation and transitions, design of human resource strategies and systems, 'trouble shooting' and conflict resolution. He has also thirty years experience in working with senior executives, managers and other professionals in enhancing their managerial skills through executive workshops, consulting and counselling.

Derek Eamus

Derek Eamus is a plant physiologist and ecophysiologist who has worked mostly on tree species for the past 15 years. For the decade 1990-2000 he worked on savanna ecophysiology, through the CRC for Tropical Savannas and the Northern Territory University.
He has been keen to have projects that integrate measurements over several spatial scales. For example, his lab has undertaken measurements of leaf scale processes (photosynthesis and transpiration) and leaf scale attributes (specific leaf area, foliar Nitrogen content, cost-benefit analyses of leaves); tree-scale processes and attributes (whole tree water-use; growth rate, allometric relationships; hydraulic architecture and xylem embolism); stand scale processes and attributes (canopy exchange of water and CO2; leaf area index) and catchment scale processes (vegetation and groundwater interactions).
He was recently appointed to the Chair of Environmental Sciences at UTS where he continues his interests in plant physiology and ecophysiology, working at cellular, whole organism and ecosystem scales.

Peter Manning

Manning was invited to the UTS Journalism Faculty in 2001 as an Adjunct Professor following a distinguished 30-year career in Australian journalism. He had been Head of Current Affairs at the Seven Television Network (1997-2000), Head of ABC Radio National (1993-5) and head of ABC Television News and Current Affairs (1989-92).
Between 1985 and 1989 Manning was Executive Producer of the prize-winning "Four Corners", specializing in investigative reporting. Prior to that, he had been a television, radio and print reporter in ABC television and radio, the "Sydney Morning Herald" and "The Bulletin" He was trained at John Fairfax and Sons Ltd.
In 2004, he joined the Faculty as a member of the academic staff as a Senior Lecturer. He taught Investigative Journalism, Advanced Print Features, Television Journalism. In the same year he undertook a Doctorate of Philosophy examining representations of Arabic and Muslim people in Sydney's media.

Jill McKeough

Professor Jill McKeough has been Dean of the Law Faculty at UTS since 2005 and has extensive university leadership and management experience. From 2002 McKeough was a Professor of Law at the University of New South Wales and held the positions of Head of School, Associate Dean (Undergraduate) and Director of Postgraduate Students.
McKeough has written and taught primarily in intellectual property (copyright, designs, patents, trade marks, confidential information, biotechnology and indigenous cultural heritage) as well as torts, commercial law, consumer protection, legal system and legal history. McKeough has written a number of books, three of which have been published in up to four editions. Her research, including scholarly articles and government reports, has resulted in major policy developments and law reform.

Michelle Rumsey

Michele Rumsey is the Director of Operations and Development for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development at UTS.

Paul Willis

Paul Willis has had many weird and wonderful jobs over the past 10 years including a stint as the Curator of Vertebrates at the Macleay Museum in the University of Sydney and a couple of years touring Australia with a life-size inflatable Tyrannosaurus rex as part of a primary school education program.
In 1992-93, Willis spent nearly 9 months in Bonn, Germany, as part of an exchange program where he drank too much beer and measured lots of dead crocodiles. The music in this period is completely forgettable.
In early 1997 Willis landed a traineeship with the ABC as a Science Broadcaster and has been annoying people with a microphone ever since. His radio achievements so far include The Correx Files for Triple J, a regular talkback segment with Angela Catterns on the metro stations and articles for The Science Show, Earthbeat and The Health Report.